Energy
Ukraine’s energy liberalisation opportunity should not be missed
The reform and modernisation of Ukraine’s energy market is vital to the future of Ukraine, but can also play a very important role in the energy security and economic development of the region, and the wider European continent, writes Maxim Timchenko.
Keeping cool in a warming world is not a ‘luxury’ for the rich
The heatwaves currently experienced in Europe should be a wake-up call to stop ignoring summer domestic energy poverty, writes Yamina Saheb.
A holistic approach to smart building systems
While a coordinated operation of all building systems can achieve significant energy savings, those systems are too often installed in siloes hindering to unlock the full potential, writes Tom Machinchick.
Active energy storage for EV charging
Among alternative fuel vehicles, electric cars are the best positioned to overcome refuelling infrastructure challenges, writes Ian McClenny. The difficulty lies in having sufficient vehicle charging availability to reduce consumer’s range anxiety.
Has Bulgaria’s coal industry hit rock bottom?
One of Bulgaria’s cornerstone coal mines has been forced to shut down, raising questions over the future of energy production and employment in the region, as well as coal’s future in the country, write Violeta Keremdchieva and Ellen Baker.
Croatia’s renovation projects can teach us as much as their football
What do Croatia’s football team and its energy efficiency programmes have in common? Experience, skill, tenacity and an inspiring amount of success, writes Adrian Joyce.
Energy and cyber security: The other capacity gap
Europe’s energy companies have made real progress on cyber security in many ways. But actions speak louder than words, and cyber security needs to be a core component of any utility’s strategy, argues Michael John.
EU should aim for net-zero emissions by 2040 to fight global warming
Keeping global temperature rise to 1.5°C is critical - and still possible. But it means the EU should aim to reach net-zero emissions by 2040, writes Andrea Kohl.
Higher shares of renewables for higher levels of electrification
A deep decarbonisation of the European economy is doable, but it will rely heavily on an increased uptake of electricity – even if the challenges are very different across the individual use sectors, writes Kristian Ruby.
China and EU can lead on climate action
An upcoming EU-China summit in Beijing will be yet another moment for both economies to show leadership on climate action, following the United States' surrender of influence under Donald Trump, writes Professor Zou Ji.
People leading the renewable revolution
With its updated Renewable Energy Directive, the EU has sent a clear signal that citizens and communities are key to the energy transition’s success. The next step is to empower these groups to access the market and use their untapped potential, writes Emily Rochon.
Grid neutrality is a prerequisite for energy storage to flourish
Without energy storage, the EU target for renewable energy cannot be reached. And that can only succeed if the incentives for investment are set correctly and if “ownership unbundling” rules in the EU energy market are strictly enforced, writes Dr. Hans Wolf von Koeller.
Spain to lead the energy transition in Europe?
The creation of the new ministry for ecological transition in Spain brings fresh air not only at the national level but also at the EU level as Spain can give a push in the fight against climate change, writes Ana Barreira.
The EU needs to walk the talk on the Paris Climate Agreement
With its objective of reaching greenhouse gas (GHG) neutrality in the second half of this century, the Paris Agreement has been hailed as the most ambitious climate accord to date. But it is only as ambitious and effective as the policies that countries implement to achieve its objectives, writes Lola Vallejo.
Why new coal in Turkey and the Balkans will test China’s and EU’s climate leadership
The EU and China have to live up to their responsibilities on climate change and use every opportunity to support the Western Balkans and Turkey to move beyond coal. This means renewable energy sources and energy efficiency, not new coal, argue Elif Gündüzyeli and Igor Kalaba.
The EU needs to walk the talk on the Paris Climate Agreement
The EU’s Energy Union Governance Regulation is not an EU-level invention or a bureaucratic imposition from Brussels. Instead, it is to a large extent an attempt to translate what several of the EU’s individual member states are already doing on climate and energy policy, writes Lola Vallejo.Promoted content
Poland is growing its green energy generation. The capacity market should boost it even further.
New wind turbines, new photovoltaic panels, and gas-fired power stations have been built in Poland for many years. But we can have more of them and more of the energy they produce. To a large extent, this may result from the capacity market, argues Filip Grzegorczyk.
How do we make a net-zero carbon economy the new normal?
As the EU Talanoa Dialogue and the Petersburg Dialogue kicks off a busy month for EU climate action, Eliot Whittington explains why now is the time for the EU to show its colours on legislation currently under consideration and make a net-zero carbon economy the new normal.
Will Slovak coal giant benefit from EU’s clean energy transition efforts?
The European Commission chose the Trencin region in Slovakia as a pilot for its new initiative to support the transition away from coal in Europe’s regions. Coal company HBP wants to take advantage of the EU initiative – while keeping coal mining in the region.
The battle for low carbon cars: Round 2
The debate on CO2 targets for cars and vans in Europe by 2030 is shaping up to be another epic fight, write Greg Archer and Julia Poliscanova.
InvestEU must make a serious dent in the EU’s energy efficiency investment gap
Unlocking far greater energy efficiency investment is the real test for whether InvestEU, and the wider EU budget, can deliver on clean growth and climate targets, write Pedro Guertler and Tom Jess.
Why Europe needs more electricity interconnectors, public and private
Europe's underdeveloped power grid infrastructure means that a surplus of electricity cannot be traded across borders, wasting renewable energy in countries that produce more than they consume, write Jo Leinen and Werner Langen.
Making demand for electricity more flexible – a consumer view
The EU has an opportunity to take forward-looking action and shape exactly what kind of market we want when it comes to flexible electricity consumption offers, argues Angeliki Malizou.